Detroit Lions start building wide receiver core by locking up Josh Reynolds

The Detroit Lions have started to build their roster for the 2022 season; this includes the addition of wide receiver Josh Reynolds moving forward. He was a mid-season acquisition because the Lions needed some help to support their receivers due to injuries.

Reynolds was a former Rams receiver that the Detroit Lions opted to take a chance on, given his connection to quarterback Jared Goff. While this has looked like a solid move so far, the Lions were impressed enough to bring him back.

Reynolds was given a two-year extension with a potential value of nearly $12 million with all of the incentives, clauses, etc. The Lions obviously liked what they saw from him in 2021 and wanted to keep him around.

There’s plenty of room to grow with the receivers on this team, and locking up Reynolds to start building for the future is a smart move for the Lions. It’s an efficient signing and one that should be viewed as a good start moving forward.

The Detroit Lions have extended Josh Reynolds for two years.

While his first five games played with the Tennessee Titans in 2021 did not yield much, his time with the Lions was much more productive. Reynolds would have just ten receptions for 90 yards on 13 total targets with zero touchdowns with the Titans.

As a part of the Lions receiving core, Reynolds picked up 306 receiving yards on 19 receptions and was targeted 36 times. He also grabbed two touchdowns for the team as well. It’s a quality move for the Lions, who are bolstering up their receiver core.

They already will get to have Quintez Cephus back, who was primed for a breakout season until a season-ending injury put a stop to that. Amon-Ra St.Brown pieced together an exceptional season in 2021 and will look to carry that momentum into the 2022 season.

While these three names will not bring the team a top-tier Super Bowl-winning wide receiver core, they will allow for the Lions to have a youthful group that should be able to make some things happen offensively. Adding in a(some) proven veteran(s) to this wide receiver core should also be done.

But bringing back Reynolds is a quality start for the Lions to get the ball rolling this offseason. He was clearly a fan of being in Detroit, getting opportunities to show his stuff and go out and be an option the Lions have to spruce up their offense.

If there’s one thing the Lions lacked in 2021, it was the quality and depth of wide receivers, among other things. Adding in Reynolds proved to be a bandaid, but it was a bandaid on a bullet hole.

While bringing him back will be a good thing, the Lions have to do more than just this. It’s a great start, though.